My First Client... And How We Made $750,000 In 10 Months!💥

My First Client And How We Made $750,000 In 10 Months... With No Ads, No List, And No Following!

Hey family, 

Today, I want to share a remarkable story… One that is a bit long and personal (I hope that’s ok)!

It’s a story of how relationship leveraging and online events transformed my friend David's coaching business, catapulting it to a whopping $750,000 in just 10 months.

Yes, you read that right! And the best part is… It happened without us running any no ads, without having a big list, and without having a massive social following. Let's dive in!

THE INITIAL STRUGGLE: SERVING TABLES, WEBINARS AND LESSONS LEARNED

I’ll never forget it… I was working as a part-time minister on Sundays and then Monday through Saturday I took the role of a part-time restaurant server at a small local cafe.

I had just graduated college with a degree in Christian Missions and Business - hoping to make a mark on the world… But, there was one problem.

I was broke. Broke with a capital B! No money - nada! And to top that off, I had just gotten married so the pressure was on for me to provide for my new “family”. I knew I needed a way to bring new revenue into our dry bank accounts, but I couldn’t seem to find “the thing”.

One day, while I was wrapping up my late night shift at the cafe (I was taking my time sweeping up the heaping piles of left-over food that had fallen off the plates of the overly-eager buffet eaters), I got a visit from an unexpected visit from a friend! She was so excited to share a “brand new opportunity” with me. An opportunity she SWORE would change our lives FOREVER!

She quickly pulled out her little laptop and slid it on the “two-top” as I was wrapping up my last task of the night.

Finally, what she revealed came up on the screen in the form of a 20-minute video presentation. It was a network marketing opportunity - yeah you guessed it!

Up to that moment in time, I had never heard of network marketing… But that moment was one of the most pivotal moments - one that I could say changed my life forever.

Why? Because it was in that venture that I met David, a bright and energetic Kentucky fella who would eventually become my up-line and mentor.

David became a great friend overtime and eventually went on to start a real estate coaching business.

One day I got a call from David:

“Michael, I’m starting to coach people how to break into real estate and I’d love to coach you!”

Did David remember I was working as a low-income cafe waiter and also barely made a living off the ministerial position? I’m not sure, but there was still no money in my bank account, so I chuckled at his proposal!

After talking about it for a bit and trying to find ways to pull money together for this coaching, I had an epiphany! What if I could work for David and I get coaching for “free”? It wasn’t most horrible idea - so I pitched it!

“David, how about I help you with your coaching business and you coach me in return?”

His response? He said YES! Lesson learned: Don’t be afraid to barter services.

We went to work… David started teaching me real estate and I started helping David build funnels, email sequences, graphics, and more to help him grow his online business!

One of the first things we tried implementing were webinars. At the time, webinars were just ramping up and Russell Brunson’s “Perfect Webinar” framework was gaining quite the popularity.

I remember gearing up for our first big launch… I spent HOURS hooking up “zaps” and making sure all the promotional copy was just perfect. I just KNEW we were gonna make THOUSANDS off this launch!

The launch day came… We ran our first webinar… and nothing happened.

I remember sitting at the kitchen table of the church parsonage I was living in with ClickFunnels pulled up on my computer… Just waiting for the money to start rolling in. I hit the refresh button over… and over… and over again. Still no sales.

Looking back, our strategy and the webinar wasn’t the issue. To be honest, if I had the knowledge I have now, I would have doubled down on that same exact strategy because they were goldmines (and still can be).

The real issue and the root of our problems was that we had no traffic. David didn’t have a big email list (he only had 100-200 emails), he didn’t have an ad budget (and the times we did try running ads our account got permanently banned), and he didn’t have a big social media following (less than 1,000 friends on Facebook). Our marketing was simply not reaching enough people (maybe you can relate).

Fast-forward a few days and we got a random message from a mutual friend that kind of caught us off guard (but it got our attention). He sent us Facebook messages saying:

“Michael and David! I love what you’re doing, but you’re doing it wrong. I think you could do it differently".

What we had wasn’t working so decided to take the conversation further and see how we could improve. The result of that conversation was this brand new model he called a “Five Day Challenge”.

I had NO clue what in the world a “challenge” was so I had to ask him what he meant. He went on to explain in-depth that it was a virtual event spread out across multiple days, with intentions of selling a product or service at the end.

I kind of grasped it, but still had some clarity issues… But what do all great entrepreneurs do? We just roll with it and take imperfect action! After giving us the rundown, we went straight to work taking FAST action.

We implemented our first five-day virtual event and I found myself in the same exact position I was about three to four weeks prior - at my kitchen table with ClickFunnels open.

This time I was hoping for a different outcome. I was hoping that this “challenge” thing would provide new hope and confidence in the business. Although it wasn’t my business but I adopted it as my own.

“Click… Click… Click” - That was the sound of my computer keypad as I navigated through our sales funnel software. After hitting the refresh a few times, what I saw was amazing! Our first sales!

Sales started coming in slowly from our brand new event and I was excited as all get out! It was like all the hard-work had paid off and we were FINALLY reaping the rewards.

We ended up making around $25k-$30k from that event - woo hoo! We just made what I made in a year in a single week (which blew my mind).

From there, we knew we had something! So, we decided to run the play again… again… again… and again! Shoot, we’re still running this play to this day.

The next event we made $100k… the next event we made over $200k… the one after that over $350k! I was on cloud nine! We even did it a couple more times after that and we eventually hit $750,000 in just 10 months from starting!

Now, you may be wondering, “Michael, how in the world did you do all this when you said you had 0 traffic? Did David go viral? Did he buy followers? What happened?”

Actually, no. None of the above. Instead, we used relationships to grow.

Here is a rundown of the life-changing strategies we implemented to get these results!👇️ 

3 KEY LESSONS FROM THE UPHILL CLIMB

1. Size Doesn’t Matter 😁: The myth that a massive following is essential for online success was shattered. Our secret? Strategic partnerships and promoting our products to other people’s audiences. After that first webinar, we started tapping into other people’s followings to make more sales… And by leveraging other people's resources (aka lists), we unlocked unparalleled leverage. It's not about the size of your list; it's about the strategic alliances you form and the resources you can farm. What can you and your partner each bring to the table to create a mighty joint venture?

2. Test, Test, Test… Then Test Some More: In the early stages of growing your online business, testing is your best friend. We experimented with that webinar, and then the challenge until we perfected it! The mantra is simple: learn, implement, tweak, then repeat. Persistence pays off, and success often lurks just beyond the initial “challenges”.

3. Find What Works, Then Commit: Once we found what worked, we stuck to it and just duplicated the same event… But ran it to different audiences. Once you find a winning strategy, stick to it. Shiny object syndrome can EASILY divert your focus, but the real magic happens when you consistently implement what works. We ran our successful strategy over 10+ times, turning it into a multimillion-dollar playbook… And I have done the same for others (and some stray away from the winning strategies… and it makes me sad)!

4. The Power Of Virtual Stages: I would easily say that virtual events were the unsung heroes of our journey. They became the driving force behind our income, influence, and impact. If you're looking to reach more people and amplify your revenue online, virtual stages are one of the fastest ways to do just that. I’ve ran several hundred events and I can say they are great at: building trust, building community, and allowing you the presence to present offers.

As I reflect on this journey that started about five years ago, I can truly say the power that virtual events and relationship marketing hold is crystal clear. Whether you're in coaching, running an agency, or in the software biz, these strategies discussed above can open doors to limitless possibilities.

I recommend you dive into learning more how you can leverage them for your growth in 2024….

Do what we did and take imperfect action.

The payout could be huge!

Blessings,
Michael Tucker